How much do patent attorneys charge for their services?
Patent Attorney Hourly Rates and Fees
$600 to $700 per hour. Estimated range of hourly fees charged by intellectual property attorneys in Los Angeles and New York. “It's also important to note that there are two factors in determining the cost of protecting an item. There's the cost of registrations with government organizations, as well as the legal fees associated with getting help to file those registrations. Legal fees vary from firm to firm. Some industry sources estimate that in New York and Los Angeles, attorney fees range from $600 to $700 an hour. That rate differs according to the size of the law firm, the services offered and its specific fee structure.” How much do patent lawyers charge? Patent lawyer fees. (Liza Casabona, “Fighting Knockoffs By Protecting A Brand,” WWDWomen’s Wear Daily, February 1, 2006) Discover more information on strategies for protecting and defending a brand.
$305 per hour. Median hourly billing rate for law firm equity partners in 2006. “Nationwide, the median hourly billing rate for [law firm] equity partners was $305 per hour and $200 per hour for associates in 2006, the most recent full-year numbers available at the time of the 2007 study, according to legal consulting company Altman Weil Inc. of Philadelphia. But rates varied dramatically by firm size, with equity partners in firms with more than 150 lawyers charging a median rate of $375 hourly, up to a median rate of $535 per hour for the top firms in that size category.” Patent attorney billing rates. (Lisa Tanner, Staff Writer, “Legal fees have increased, and there's still room to grow,” Dallas Business Journal, Friday, February 22, 2008)
$150 per hour and up. Hourly patent attorney fees in the Vancouver, Washington area in 2002. “The patent application process is not cheap. Aside from hourly patent attorney fees ($150 per hour and up) filing fees, publication fees, issuing fee, and other fees can cost an independent inventor upwards of $5,000 to get a patent for a simple mechanical invention; a more complex electronic invention can cost more than $10,000.” How much does it cost for a patent lawyer? (Jodie Gilmore, “Patent attorneys offer expert guidance for inventors,” Vancouver Business Journal, (Vancouver, Washington), August 23, 2002) Find more information about the Vancouver, Washington law firm of Kurt M. Rylander Trial & Patent Attorney at Law PC. Contact Kurt M. Rylander.
25 hours. Average time it takes for an attorney to write a patent. “Once a patent lawyer has enough information about the invention, he or she files a patent application, which takes an average of 25 hours to write and costs about $10,000.” IP attorney fees. (Bob Wise, president of the Texas Inventors Association quoted in Erin Quinn, Tribune-Herald staff writer, “Making an invention idea a reality can be a hard road, Waco-Tribune Herald, Monday, December 10, 2007)
20 hours. Time it takes for an experienced attorney to write a patent for a simple invention. “[Francisco Rubio-Campos, founding partner at Eclipse Group, an intellectual property law firm in Los Angeles] estimates that an application for a simple invention can take an experienced attorney 20 hours to write. The hourly rate is $250 to $400 or more for many Los Angeles-area [intellectual property] attorneys.” Intellectual property attorney fees. (Cyndia Zwahlen, “Long Road to a Patent Can Pay Off in Profits,” Los Angeles Times, April 19, 2006) Find best-selling books on leading intellectual lawyers as well as a directory of intellectual property lawyers & patent agents)?
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Fees Charged for Patent Preparation and Prosecution
$10,000 to $20,000. “Can you afford the cost of a patent attorney to prepare the patent for you? If you can’t afford the $10,000-$20,000 that a patent attorney will charge to do the whole job, you can do much of the process yourself and save money. However, there are parts of the patent that are essential for a patent attorney to perform. The most important of these are the claims. If the claims are not correctly done, then the patent will likely not be defendable. Strong patents are worth much more money!” (Dee Reavis, “Will Riches Come From Your Invention Submission,” EzineArticles.com, posted Sunday, November 4, 2007)
$10,000 to $15,000. Attorney fees charged for preparing a patent application. “[M]ost companies spend between $10,000 and $15,000 in attorney fees to prepare the application.” Patent attorney fees. (Dean Turman, patent attorney at MacCord Mason, Greensboro, North Carolina quoted in Michelle Cater Rash, “Restructuring raises patent fees, could hinder startups,” Business Journal Serving the Greater Triad Area, April 11, 2005) Peruse one patent attorney's list of top books about patents.
$5000 to $10,000. "Depending upon the complexity of the invention, a patent attorney's fees generally range from $5,000 to $10,000." How much a patent attorney charges. What is the average fee for a patent attorney? (Mark Books, a patent attorney with the law firm Polster, Lieder, Woodruff & Lucchesi in St. Louis. quoted in Williams-Harold, Bevolyn, “You've got it made! (developing invention ideas),” Black Enterprise, June 1, 1999)
$800 to $2000. Typical fee charged by patent attorneys to inventors for each amendment to a patent. “Prosecuting the Patent Application Before the USPTO. Once the [patent application] is filed, it enters a prosecution phase. In the prosecution phase, each Official Action issued by the USPTO generally results in the need for an Amendment to the application to be prepared. Such amendments typically cost in attorney fees between about $800 and $2000 depending upon the complexity of the required amendment. During prosecution, it is possible that 2-3 amendments maybe necessary. Accordingly, one can spend an additional $1600 to $6000 for prosecuting the application. If the prosecution phase is successful the USPTO will issue a Notice of Allowance.” (Jerry R. Potts Esq., “What Does It Cost to Obtain a Patent?,” 760-822-6201, Jerry RRPLF Potts, Esq., BasicPatents.com, Undated, downloaded Wednesday, June 11, 2008)
Salaries of Patent Attorneys, IP Attorneys and IP Paralegals
$700,000 to $1 million. Typical salaries paid to Intellectual Property partners hired at a top U.S. law firms. “Paychecks reflect the high value placed on these specialized [Intellectual Property] lawyers. An IP [intellectual property] partner at a top firm typically is hired at $700,000 or $800,000, even $1 million a year, with the most meager book of business -- the work that comes with them, [San Francisco-based recruiter Avis Caravello] said. First-year associates at large firms can expect a 10 percent to 15 percent premium over base pay of about $160,000.” How much does a patent attorney make? (June Arney, “Law firms on hunt for patent attorneys,” Baltimore Sun, June 26, 2007)
$109,725 to $201,300. Range of annual pay for San Diego attorneys. “[D]emand for IP attorneys continues to grow, right along with the technology that fuels it. Consider that in Robert Half Legal's 2005 Salary Guide, San Diego attorneys with four to nine-plus years' experience in large firms earned from $129,800 to $201,300; midsize from $95,150 to $150,700; small to midsize from $75,075 to $127,600; and small $61,050 to $109,725. But IP attorneys can command salaries that are way off the scale, according to Kristin Kanter, branch manager for Robert Half International Inc., and so can their staffs. IP attorneys, paralegals and secretaries can earn from $5,000 to $15,000 per year more if they have at least three years of experience…” How much does an IP attorney make? (Pat Broderick, SDBJ Staff writer, “Law, Science marriage appeals to some attorneys: intellectual property lawyers must have technical know-how and sound judgment,” San Diego Business Journal, August 1, 2005)
Number of Patent Attorneys
33,000. Estimated number of patent attorneys in the U.S. “Meanwhile, about 3 percent [33,000] of the nation's 1.1 million active lawyers specialize in the demanding [intellectual property/patent] field, which requires scientific or technical expertise in addition to a law degree. Patent lawyers also must pass a specialized test on top of the regular bar exam. Maryland has about 230 intellectual property lawyers, according to the state bar association.” (June Arney, “Law firms on hunt for patent attorneys,” Baltimore Sun, June 26, 2007)
21,000. Number of licensed patent attorneys in the U.S. “The application for a patent is a complex document and typically requires that you file through a patent lawyer or patent agent. They are licensed to appear before the patent office. There are more than 21,000 licensed patent attorneys…” (AllBusiness.com, “Got a great invention? Be sure to get competent help to patent it,” San Francisco Chronicle, p. C-4, Wednesday, March 29, 2006)
17,000. Number of attorneys in the U.S. specializing in patent law. “While the legal field may be burgeoning, relatively few patent lawyers graduate each year and even fewer are interested in locating in the Midwest. In a recent year, 260 patent attorneys graduated from law school. Out of a total pool of about 350,000 attorneys in the country, only about 17,000 specialize in patent law.” (Clare Howard, “Peoria, Ill., Law Firm Helps Area Inventors Procure Patents,” Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, October 10, 2000)
260. Number of patent attorneys graduating from law school in a recent year. “While the legal field may be burgeoning, relatively few patent lawyers graduate each year and even fewer are interested in locating in the Midwest. In a recent year, 260 patent attorneys graduated from law school. Out of a total pool of about 350,000 attorneys in the country, only about 17,000 specialize in patent law.” (Clare Howard, “Peoria, Ill., Law Firm Helps Area Inventors Procure Patents,” Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News, October 10, 2000)
Number of Patent Agents
7,000. Number of licensed patent agents in the U.S. “The application for a patent is a complex document and typically requires that you file through a patent lawyer or patent agent. They are licensed to appear before the patent office. There are more than 21,000 licensed patent attorneys and nearly 7,000 licensed patent agents…” (AllBusiness.com, “Got a great invention? Be sure to get competent help to patent it,” San Francisco Chronicle, p. C-4, Wednesday, March 29, 2006)
